Welcome to my journey with Neurofibromatosis type 2, known as NF2, a genetic mutation which causes numerous tumors to grow within my brain and spine. Since 2004, I have undergone radiosurgery and 3 brain surgeries for 7 brain tumors. Life with NF2 is definitely a test of faith and a challenge to keep positive. Join me on my harrowing adventure to keep active and live life to the fullest!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

In the photo above, at the Tiger Mountain summit April 11th with Katie and Jake

Hello and sorry for the very long delay in training reports. I have been in an exhaustive slump since before the Big Climb event in March. At first I thought it was due to an illness I just could not seem to shake following my NIH visit in early March. I went through dips of getting ill, resting for a day or so, getting better, and then declining again once I tried to get back to training. As my training intensified and more was added, it was as if I finally could not move anymore. No matter how I desperately tried to motivate myself, I was really hating running and the task was becoming more than an unenjoyable chore.

The day after the Big Climb, Monday March 22nd, I was hammered for 4 days with a virus causing a sore throat, body aches, congestion, and eventually turning into a head cold. By Thursday evening, I became well enough to catch one of my last training sessions with Paul - his last day at the gym was April 1st as he has made the decision to put his full focus into finishing his degree. Saturday I returned to hiking and Monday March 29th I began my first week of half marathon training. I also got in another quick hike on Tiger Mountain before our last training session on Wednesday March 31st.

Easter marked the beginning of week 2 of my half marathon training which seemed to go well. Wednesday April 7th, was the kickoff of our hike season with Team Survivor NW and it went pretty good. I definitely was not a rockstar nor the fastest hiker but it was to be expected as I was running 4 days a week, lifting weights 2-3 times a week, and then walking my dogs for an hour on the opposite days. By the end of the week I REALLY slogged through a 40 minute run but thought I just had to get used to this intensive amount of activity. The next day (Sunday) I hiked 2522 foot Tiger Mountain but my time was the slowest I have hiked it all year - dropping from my record reaching the summit in 1 hour to 1 and a half hours! I was not too worried because the dogs and I had a difficult run the day prior and needed a nice leisurely pace for recovery.

The rest of the week started out ok but my body and brain began to have a breakdown. I pinched out a 3 mile run on Monday at the start of week 3 (April 12th), followed by water aerobics and strength training on my rest day. I managed to pump out a second hike for the week yet was strangely winded after as if not entirely in shape for hiking yet although I had already been out at least 12 times for the season. Because I skipped my run on Tuesday, I had no choice but to try to make it up the same day as the hike. That evening I could barely stand the 3 mile run and begged the Lord to at least get me across the last bridge ending 3/4 of a mile short. The next day I skipped my 4 mile run completely and then on the day of my long run I only pushed through 5 miles of my scheduled 6.

Continuation

The 3rd week of April, 4th of training, I painfully and exhaustingly pushed through 16 miles spread out over 4 running days. However, I became ill midweek and had to miss my weekly hike. The evening before, the sore throat returned followed by body aches during the night. I agonized that the forecast was to be nice in the morning. If it had been beautiful out it, was going to kill me to miss a hike to one of my favorite and most scenic trails on a gorgeous day. Thankfully when I woke up after getting only a couple hours of good sleep, it was raining and cloudy. My battered body was quite relieved to take a break for a day to heal before running again. I missed water aerobics as well and each week it became harder to fit in the strength training on top of it.

When the last week of April rolled around I was hurting really bad! Harley was getting worried because I was frequently napping and completely wiped out. It became common place for me to pull my truck over on the side of the road or a parking lot for a snooze because I struggled to keep awake while driving. My 3 mile at the beginning of the week was alright but NOT at all enjoyable. I had developed a very painful hamstring tendonitis which was diagnosed by a sports therapist the following day. Further, I was even having difficulty breathing lying in bed upon waking and began having dreams that I was suffocating. In one dream I was scuba diving and ran out of air. Therefore, the combination of being short of breath with the injury causing pain to radiate to my quadriceps and knee, became a real mental battle to deal with the physical ailments.

On my second running day of the week, no matter how hard I tried, I could not complete the 5 mile run. As a matter of fact, I think I walked most of it. I questioned myself of whether I was making up an excuse because of the tendonitis injury. I convinced myself after several attempts at running that it was ok to briskly walk this one out instead. Then the strangest thing occurred within the last mile and a half. My brain and body was so exhausted/drained that I felt like crying. Actually, I think I did cry. I felt mentally as well as physically fatigued like when you pull several allnighters in a row cramming for an exam. I wondered what could possibly be going on. Was I depressed? I seriously contemplated if I should seek out the counsel of a therapist.

Although I managed to attend the weekly hike, I really lagged behind and was constantly out of breath. I again convinced myself that it must be due to the higher weekly activity level/physical demands I had compared to the rest of the hike group. My mind was so tired and vision distorted that when another hiker and I from the group came to a fork in the trail, I completely misread the large white arrow indicating the correct path and led us astray. I was astonished when we returned to the sign to see that I had totally missed the very obvious arrow showing what direction our group had traveled.

Things got worse throughout the rest of the week. My three mile Thursday run was another failed attempt. Within minutes I was winded and it felt like a heavy weight was sitting on my chest which began to clue me in that something was REALLY wrong. I lasted for only 15 minutes and then I had to walk it out for 12 minutes before starting up again to make my way back. On the return route I only had the energy for another 15 minutes. I could not complete the rest of the route and walked for another 8 minutes to reach the vehicle.

Alright, so I was tapped out which can be understandable with running and even hiking. Therefore, I planned to catch the water aerobics the next morning on rest day. Whoa! Alarm bells ringing! I had to drag myself to class and could barely stand to keep up. Normally I am one of the most energetic in class but on this day I was totally sapped. In my 3 years of doing water aerobics including recovery after 2 brain surgeries, I have NEVER felt like this. The entire time I looked at the clock which seemed stagnant. I wanted so badly for class to be over with so I could rest in the hot tub. My entire being wanted rest. My arms and legs felt trying to move stiff sticks through a vat of peanut butter.

That afternoon in desperation, I emailed my general internist to inform him that something definitely was not right. My first thoughts at solving the problem was to check my blood chemistry for anemia (which I have history of) and thyroid which runs in my family. He promptly emailed me back that evening with instructions to get a blood draw at the nearby hospital.